Palestinian official clarifies remarks

As Palestinian leaders prepare to head to the United Nations in New York next week to seek recognition of a Palestinian state, the top Palestinian diplomat in Washington is stirring controversy with comments he made suggesting that Jews should not be permitted to reside in the new nation that would be formed in Gaza and the West Bank.

At a breakfast with reporters on Tuesday, the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s mission in the U.S., Maen Areikat, appeared to indicate that all Jews should be required to leave areas that become part of a new Palestinian state.

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However, in another interview on Wednesday, Areikat seemed to soften his remarks and contended that his comments had been misinterpreted.

At the Tuesday breakfast, the Palestinian envoy was asked if a Jew could be elected as mayor of Ramallah, the West Bank city that is presently the headquarters for the Palestinian Authority.

“I still believe — I personally still believe, that as a first step we need to be totally separated and we can contemplate these issues in the future,” Areikat replied. “But, after the experience of the last 44 years of military occupation and all the conflict and friction, I think it will be in the best interest of the two peoples to be separated first.”

Some outlets, including The Daily Caller and USA Today, took Areikat’s comments as calling for the new Palestinian state to be free of Jews entirely.

But Areikat said Wednesday that his remarks were not intended to suggest a ban on Jews.

“Under no circumstances was I saying that no Jews can be in Palestine,” Areikat told the Huffington Post. “What a statement that would be for me to make! I never said that, and I never meant to say such a thing. This is not a religious conflict, and we want to establish a secular state.”

Areikat told the Huffington Post that he took the question to refer not to all Jews but to “settlers staying in Palestine.” He also continued to assert that “persons who are amid an occupation, who are in my land illegally” should be barred from living on Palestinian governed territory.

He said a new Palestinian state should respect religious freedom. “When it comes to religious freedom and the right of all to visit respective sites in Israel and Palestine, of course all cities should be open to all religions,” he said.

“Jerusalem right now is restricted — Palestinian Muslims and Christians cannot visit it. Christians, Muslims and Jews must be able to visit their respective sites in both countries. This wasn’t even on my mind when we asked the question — I thought he was talking about settlers staying in Palestine.”

Areikat did not respond to a request from POLITICO for clarification of his comments. A written statement his office indicated was forthcoming Wednesday never arrived.